Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean 'is one of the best-known attractions at Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. It first opened at Disneyland in 1967, was the largest Audio-Animatronic project to date and was the last attraction of which Walt Disney was involved in the design. History The attraction was originally conceived as a wax museum and a walkthrough adventure. But following the success of Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress at the 1964 New York World's Fair, Walt Disney and his team of Imagineers decided that Audio-Animatronics, Walt's latest animation technology, was the most imaginative way to tell a rousing pirate story. On April 19, 1967, Pirates of the Caribbean opened at Disneyland park. Thanks to the mainly highly detailed environments, lavish special effects and memorable characters, the attraction earned rave reviews and has remained a beloved classic ever since. Due to popular demand, the attraction opened at Magic Kingdom park on December 15, 1973 and, most recently, has spawned a blockbuster film series starring Johnny Depp. Attraction Plot *Wander a meanderin' alleyway within a Spanish fortress and board a small barge for a spellbinding high-seas adventure. Escape through a shadowy grotto past the ghostly catacombs of fallen pirates and swoop down a small rushing waterfall, your passageway to the Golden Age of Piracy. *Behold boisterous buccaneers drunk on the spoils of plunderin' during a 9-minute cruise amid the Old World. Sing along as windswept pirates serenade you with their classic anthem, "Yo Ho, Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)." And even ply a sly Captain Jack Sparrow from The Pirates of the Caribbean film series along the way. *Take off on a treacherous voyage to the 17th century, when rowdy rogues and rapscallions ruled seaport towns along the Spanish Main under the watchful eye of "Jolly Roger." *Popular sites you will encounter include: **'Pirates Grotto- Home to Dead Man's Cove and Hurricane Lagoon, this haunted realm recalls the struggles pirates endured on the open seas. **'The Fort'- Navigate through a shadowy bay, where a foggy Caribbean fort and a striking 12-gun galleon, helmed by Captain Barbossa, are locked in battle. **'Town Square'- Sail straight past a crowded marketplace of rambunctious scalawags, gleefully bidding in an auction for a bride. **'Burning City'- Looters and buccaneers sing a song of jubilation as flames engulf a seaside town. **'The Dungeon'- Trapped in a jail cell, freebooters attempt to lure a confused canine within reach to nab the prison keys he has in his mouth. The Ride Description Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland Version The ride begins amid glimmering fireflies during an evening abuzz with the croaking of a bullfrog in a quaint Louisiana Bayou. Daring adventurers board their boats at Laffite's Landing, and are at once afloat in the heart of bayou country. On one side is an actual working restaurant, The Blue Bayou, made to look like the backyard dinner party of a southern plantation. It takes three days to empty and refill the "bayou" for renovations. There are 630,000 gallons of water on the attraction. Once past several rickety houseboats, the soft strumming of banjo melodies (including "Oh! Susanna" and "Camptown Races") can be heard over the peaceful symphony of nature as guests pass by one houseboat, on the porch of which an old man calmly rocks back and forth in his rocking chair. But then a talking skull and crossbones, voiced by Xavier Atencio, songwriter, above an archway provides this taunting warning: : "Psst! Avast there! It be too late to alter course, mateys. And there be plundering pirates lurkin' in ev'ry cove, waitin' to board. Sit closer together and keep your ruddy hands in board. That be the best way to repel boarders. And mark well me words, mateys: Dead men tell no tales! Ye come seekin' adventure with salty old pirates, eh? Sure you've come to the proper place. But keep a weather eye open mates, and hold on tight. With both hands, if you please. Thar be squalls ahead, and Davy Jones waiting for them what don't obey." Then a more chilling sound becomes audible: the thundering of a waterfall, down which guests plunge. When they reach the bottom of the waterfall guests then get to enjoy the theme for the ride briefly. Then they hear the frightening echo of: "Dead men tell no tales!" After a second hair-raising plunge (absent at Tokyo) further into the depths of an underground grotto, guests behold the skeleton remains of an unfortunate band of pirates, guarding their loot and treasure with macabre delight. The boats glide gently past a thunderstorm tossing an old pirate ship about, though the ship's pilot is nothing more than skeleton. The boats pass through the Crews Quarters, complete with skeletal pirates playing chess, the captain looking up treasure on his map, an old Harpsichord playing the theme, and a huge amount of treasure being guarded by another skeleton pirate. The Aztec chest from Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl sits in the corner of the Treasure Room and is the last thing guests see before entering a dark tunnel. There are 40,000 gold coins in this scene. A waterfall with a projection of Davy Jones then appears, and the riders seem to float through without getting wet. He invites guests to proceed if "they be brave or fool enough to face a pirate's curse". Next, Cannonballs whistle overhead and explosions throw water into the air, a fierce battle between a marauding pirate galleon and a Caribbean fortress is in full swing. Captain Barbossa leads the assault from the deck of a pirate vessel names the Wicked Wench, while The Medallion Calls also used in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies play. From the deck of the Wicked Wench Barbossa yells: "Strike yer colors ye bloomin cockroachers. By thunder we'll see you to Davy Jones. They need persuasion mates. Fire at will! Pound 'em lads! Pound 'em!" When a cannon is shot, guests may feel a powerful blast coming from the cannon, accompanied by a large splash and underwater lighting effect to simulate cannon fire. The village on the Isla Tesoro beyond is overrun with pirates in search of the Town Treasure. The first sight is the town square where some pirates have kidnapped the mayor and threaten to drown him in the well if he doesn't tell where Captain Jack Sparrow and his Town Treasure is. Carlos' wife tells him to be brave and not talk, but the attempts are useless; she is shot at as the mayor continues to repeatedly get dunked in the water, while several other city officials tied up look on. Captain Jack Sparrow is seen hiding behind some dresses looking to see if anyone sees him. Followed by that is the famous auction scene where a pirate Auctioneer auctions off the town women while the drunk bidders hoot and holler for a redhead who is next up for bids. But unfortunately for them, the only person the Auctioneer wants to sell at the moment is an overweight forty-year-old that seems not to care what the others think of her. There is a pirate by the name of "Old Bill", who wants to share rum with terrified cats. The next scene is the chase where pirates run around holding treasure, chasing girls, and two foolish buccaneers have stolen some snacks and are chased by an angry woman holding a rolling pin. Just beyond is the infamous "pooped pirate" drunkenly waving a map and key to a treasure vault, boasting that Captain Jack Sparrow will never see it. Little does he know, Jack is hiding in a barrel just behind him, popping out and getting a good look at the map over the pirate's shoulder. Carefree, tipsy pirates succeed in ravaging the town and setting it aflame, filling the night air with an orange glow. Riders next float past a jail where imprisoned pirates are doing their best to escape as flames draw near. A small dog just out of the prisoners' reach holds the key to their escape in his teeth; he seems all but immune to the pleas of the pirates trying to coax him closer. One of the pirates holds a noose, hoping to trap the dog. Timbers are smouldering and cracking overhead as riders sail through a storage room filled with gunpowder, cannon balls, and rum-filled, gun-shooting pirates singing "Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate's Life for Me". A shoot-out between the inebriated crew and captain of the pirate ship in a flaming ammunition warehouse threatens to demolish the entire village. Finally, Jack Sparrow is seen in a room full of the hidden treasure. Slightly drunk (as usual), he is draped over a large throne-like chair and waves his new treasures around happily while chattering to himself (and passing guests). Every once in a while he will sing "Drink up me hearties yo ho!". At Tokyo and Florida a small parrot talks with him. Riders then return to the sleepy bayou where the journey began, passing by the parrot, Beauregard, viewed from the queue. Magic Kingdom The attraction, guarded by the Caribbean watchtower Torre del Sol, is housed in a golden Spanish fort called Castillo Del Morro, inspired by Castillo de San Felipe del Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Inside the Blue Bayou has been replaced by Pirate's Cove and into a short grotto with Davy Jones, skeletons of dead pirates, the hurricane lagoon, and an echoing "Dead men tell no tales". There is no treasure room sequence as found in other parks. Following the plunge down one waterfall the remainder of the ride is similar to Tokyo and California. Unlike in California however, you do not return to ground level in your boat. Instead you exit the boat immediately after the Jack Sparrow in the treasure room scene, then take a speed ramp up to the ground floor gift shop. The Florida version also does not include the scene past the powder room with the intoxicated pirates firing cannons. The exterior of the attraction was slightly altered during the 2006 modifications. Included in the changes were the removal of the barker bird, and original attraction sign. A new sign was placed on the outside corner of the fort facing towards the entrance of Adventureland. The design of the new sign is a ships mast with the attraction name written in its black sails, and a skeleton of a pirate up in its crow's nest. The barker bird was eventually moved to the Pirates of the Caribbean section of the World of Disney store at Downtown Disney. The position of the pieces on the chess board in the attraction's pre-show is not random. Marc Davis carefully arranged the pieces so that any move will result in a never-ending game, hence the skeletons who have been playing the same game since 1973. The pieces were accidentally moved during a minor refurbishment and were not returned to their proper positions until someone found Marc Davis' original sketches. The ride begins with your boat passing through a cave and an image of Davy Jones appears. You then pass an island on your left with skeletons of pirates while hearing a disembodied voice saying "Dead Man Tell No Tales." You continue and pass by the wreckage of a ship in a storm with a skeleton at the wheel. The ride drops and you go down 14 feet, in the process, passing under the Walt Disney World Railroad and dropping down to ground level (the ride actually begins on a second level, and the surrounding Caribbean Plaza is graded to match the rest of the park). At the bottom you pass through a dark passage and pass a battle between a pirate ship and an island fortress. The ride continues as you pass through a town being ransacked and see a woman screaming down to her husband who is being dunked multiple times into a well in an attempt to get information from him on the location of Jack Sparrow. You then see Jack Sparrow hiding against a wall looking back over his shoulder at the pirates who are searching for him. The boat next passes a scene you see women being auctioned off as brides. You will hear a pirate yell, "Me wants the red-head!" You go under a bridge and see pirates stealing a treasure chest, and an old lady chasing a pirate with a broom. A pirate sitting on the left holding a map says that Jack Sparrow will not be able to find the treasure without his map and key. You then see that Jack Sparrow is behind him hiding in a keg and looking right at him. On the right is a very drunk pirate surrounded by and talking to cats. You then pass under another bridge and see that the town is on fire. There are three singing men, a donkey and a dog who are singing along to the song "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)". You see more pirates stealing treasure, singing, and carrying the torches which set the city alight. You then begin to pass under a bridge, there is a pirate on the right passed out and surrounded by pigs. Above a pirate dangles his hairy, dirty leg down. As in the Disneyland version you see prisoners trying to escape from their jail cell by attempting to lure a dog who has keys in his mouth over to them. On the left you see the key from the prior scene in an opened door, and Jack Sparrow, drunk as usual surrounded by treasure rocking in a large chair and speaking about his exploits, and singing bits of "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" The ride then ends as you exit to your left. Disneyland Park (Paris) The Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disneyland Park is the only instalment not to feature the movie characters. It is housed in a battle-scarred fortress and is much different than the originals. The ride begins as guests depart on boats from a landing and enter a lush lagoon at nighttime with the thundering of waterfalls everywhere. The boats pass through a shipwreck and enter an old fortress nearby. Inside gun noises and sword clanking are heard in the back as the boats climb up a large lift hill used to haul cargo throughout the fort. At the top flames are engulfing the fort and the shadows of fighting pirates and soldiers are seen. Up ahead the guests see the pirates in jail trying to coax the key out of the naughty guard dog. The boats go down a waterfall in the side of the fort caused by a cannon ball and pass the bombarding-the-fort scene, where the soldiers and the pirates fire at guests. Entering the relative safety of the town, guests see all the original scenes from the Disneyland original except for a new pair of sword fighting men who duel for a girl in the chase scene. After passing the burning town, darkness fills the air and red flashes and hot air appears as the arsenal of the town has blown up sending the guests to Davy Jones' Locker. They pass all the grotto scenes from Disneyland and exit the boats after a parting thought from the skull and crossbones. __FORCETOC__ Category:Disneyland Category:Magic Kingdom Category:Tokyo Disneyland Category:Disneyland Park (Paris) Category:Disneyland Attractions Category:Magic Kingdom Attractions Category:Tokyo Disneyland Attractions Category:Disneyland Paris Attractions Category:Adventureland